#steampunk jewelry

Hello everyone! This is my latest work, a miniature factory created inside a watch case. Most of it has been built by using tiny watch parts. It is a factory which turns stone into gold. The stones are fed into the  machinery on the top right, to go through a process of complex transformation inside the factory and come out as gold in the bottom right. The bits of gold I used are actual 9K gold. Enjoy!

My latest piece, a miniature factory which converts tiny pieces of stone into gold. All the machinery has been made with tiny watch parts and other metal bits and has been fitted inside a vintage watch case. Made to be worn as a pendant. Enjoy!

If you want to view more of my work don’t forget to visit my Etsy shop and website:

www.etsy.com/shop/MicroJewellery

www.gregorygrozos.com

My latest creation, an ultra-tiny robot inventor’s workshop made inside a watch case. The inner diameter of the watch case measures 1.6cm or 0.6’’. All the tiny robots have been made by assembling many tiny watch parts. The inventor is holding tools while working on one of the robot’s inside. Fitted with a chain and closed with a piece of glass on the front, it has been made as a wearable necklace. Enjoy!

Available at my online shop:

www.etsy.com/shop/MicroJewellery

My latest miniature artwork! A tiny flying machine flying through the skies. It has been made in a vintage watch case and closed on the front with a piece of glass. The machine is made entirely from watch parts as well as a bit of fabric. The background sky has been hand-painted and there is an ultra-tiny man piloting the craft.

Please visit my Etsy to see more of my work:

www.etsy.com/shop/MicroJewellery

Miniature factory pendant with tiny little workers, closed inside wooden frame box and sealed with glass on the front.

To view this along with my other creations please visit my online shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MicroJewellery

Still playing with my little LED lights and tritium.  I found these great paracord beads - expensive but totally worth the money.  Beautifully turned brass with “windows” - three vertical holes interspersed with a long window around the whole bead.  I sealed the holes and poured resin into the center and embedded the LED leaving the connector post exposed so the battery pack “clutch” can turn on the light.  

The top photos are “BlueBot” with a domed cap making him look a little like a certain famous robot that I can’t mention because I don’t want a trademark strike.  It can be worn without the battery pack and brass ring.  Unfortunately the photos make the light seem much brighter than it is in reality.  It just gives off a blue glow.

The middle photos are a design I wanted to revisit with a blue tritium stick in a glass vial and silver tone sleeve.  Very cyberpunk.  I combined it with a horizontal post hanger with mechanical bits and pieces.

Final piece is a little “Green rocket”.  The top has a small silver tone stepped cap on top and serrated exhaust funnel over the battery pack.  It can also be worn without the battery pack.  Again, the photos don’t convey the light well.  It gives off more of a green glow and isn’t that bright in reality.  

The LED necklaces are on long chains to be worn mid length.  The battery packs are very secure and the batteries can be replaced easily.  I’ll list them in my Etsy shop.  Etsy doesn’t let me sell tritium (I don’t agree with it but their sandpit - their rules) so if you are interested buying it - drop me a PM.  It’s US$125 including shipping/tracking from Australia.  

I have been busy!  These are two new Tritium designs.  Unlike normal glow in the dark Tritium doesn’t need to by charged by an existing light source.  It’s a gas, slightly radioactive (not dangerously so) and glows continuously for 12 to 15 years.  It’s used in high end watches, gun sights - anything that requires constant illumination.  But it’s very, very expensive and is sold in a range of small glass tubes.  For the safety of the tube I install them in a second glass or crystal vial.

The green stick is small 12mm x 2mm.  It’s sealed in the square crystal vial hung on semicircle silver tone connector with pointed terminals.  Two flat struts are used to attach the chain. 

The orange/pink stick is larger 24mm x 2mm sealed within a second glass vial test tube.  I created a hanging bracket for the vial.  The vial is topped with a 5 finned post.  There is a brass ring on the test tube that holds the vial at a midpoint and can be removed.  The vial itself can be worn without the bracket by clipping two clasps to the holes on the top cap that will be included.  

Yes, another gold audio fuse but this one has a pink LED and a bit more embellishment - four struts connected to two bracket rings.  It does remind me of an old valve.  It has very thin gold plate on the caps and central fuse - apparently it doesn’t degrade which effects sound quality in high end audio equipment.  On this one I used a pink LED.  The photo does make it look more purple but in reality it is more pink.  I don’t like altering product photos too much.  

As you can see the light is on when the post is inserted into the silver battery pack.  The batteries can be replaced by screwing the top off. When I build these it’s so exciting turning it on for the first time - I was thrilled when I saw this one light up.  Perfect for that theatrical costume or just that night out.  It will certainly grab attention.  

This is made from a gold plated fuse, used in high end stereo for superior sound quality. They have such a great look - atompunk/mid century - I didn’t want to really alter the look. The internal gold plate “S” connection has such great form I couldn’t improve on it.  I’ve sold several attached horizontally on a cord for men’s jewellery.  Audiophiles love them.

But I wanted to highlight it with light.  On the bottom of the fuse I’ve installed an LED with a connection post running through the base cap.  The light is turned on by plugging that pin into a small silver tone battery pack.  It holds tight to the pin.  The battery pack unscrews at the top so batteries can be replaced.  The bracket holding the fuse is not fixed so you could turn it up the other way and have the battery pack on the top of the fuse. To balance the piece without the battery I created a similar post on the other end.  

Why should fun jewellery, brave jewellery design using light be the domain of gaudy kitsch - plastic flashing Christmas earrings, disposable dance/rave accessories and cheap novelty toys for kids?  Why can’t it be used in high quality unique design?  Yes, it’s a bit mad scientist and will certainly attract attention whether the light is on or off.  

I’ve been waiting to make these for a long time.  Finally had all the ingredients and a bit of bravery.  What many people don’t realise is making something new is always a risk, possibly ruining expensive supplies.  Fortunately these turned out well.   A simple glass locket filled with a vintage pocket watch spring, tiny metallic “planet” spheres, a half round golden “sun” all fixed in place with clear resin. It makes for a subtle yet intriguing piece of jewelry.  Understated.

The tiny ones are seriously small - the lockets are under an inch wide.  I’ve attempted some reality to the planets: Mercury is tiny and silver, Venus earth’s sister planet is gold and the same size as Earth, Earth is silver, Mars smaller than Earth and copper. The giants start with Jupiter large in copper, Saturn slightly smaller than Jupiter and silver tone, Uranus is gold, Neptune is smaller and silver and finally, Pluto, tiny and metallic black.  I can’t keep any accuracy in relation to the size of the sun - it’s seriously huge in comparison.   

The larger one, just over an inch wide, was gold but arrived very scratched.  Instead of it sitting in my pile of rejects I decided to “distress” the patina to a brushed copper with the original gold poking through in places.  It works.  It also has a very light dusting of holographic glitter as a star field.  

If there is the demand I thought about customising these.  With a birth date, time and place I can generate a natal sun chart - where the planets were at the time of their birth. If there is serious clumping I might have to take some artistic license when positioning all the planets. It would require a 2 week build time for supplies and for the resin layers to cure.  

If you are looking for a masculine gift I can put them on a black rubber or leather cord.  

The Detector

I’ve been overdosing on documentaries about CERN, the Large Hadron Collider, quantum physics/mechanics and proof of the Higgs Boson.  As a science illiterate it fascinates me.  That massive tube full of magnets, cameras, detectors and liquid nitrogen is an incredible instrument.  Simply awe inspiring.  These docos play in the background in my studio and I would occasionally look up to see the massive size and complexity of the machine.  

This started with simple flat brass rings with eight holes and some rescued snake chain I cut into eight lengths.  This design wasn’t thought out - I just had to wing it.  I vaguely wanted a “cage” to hold a glass vial with a Tritium vial in it.  Etsy doesn’t like Tritium (their sandpit - their rules) so I sell those pieces off Etsy.  It basically glows without the need for a charge - it glows constantly for 10 to 15 years.  But I’ve been working with UV resin and recently purchased some tiny LEDS.  So I set an orange LED into a gold tone cord cap with UV resin.  Then I put a glass tube into the cap and slowly poured resin into the tube stirring it frantically to produce air bubbles.  Normally I’m fighting against air bubbles in resin so trying to form and quickly cure them was surprisingly difficult.  I didn’t even know if the LED and electronics was going to work after pouring resin on them.  The light refracts and diffuses on the bubbles.  I was thrilled when it all worked.  

Once I had brass beads on the end of each chain length I threaded a range of beads, pinions, tubing and 5 brass rings to stabilize the tube.  I still had no idea if the vial would fit through the middle and how I was going to attach it to the structure.  This is where the magic often happens - it fit like it was designed with precision.  To fasten it within the tube all I had to do was slide another cap on the top of the glass vial and seal it with a screw.  

As you can see - when unlit there is a small silver tube, slightly hidden by the brass tassel.  To turn the light on - insert that tube into the battery pack - a tiny silver tone tube with a central hole (3/8 x ¼ inch).  Once inserted it turns the LED on.  Batteries can be replaced easily by unscrewing the cap.  

During the day - it’s an unusual mecha deco design - at night with the light - the wow factor.  

It sort of looks like a little mechanical cephalopod with those 8 tassel “legs”.  I’ve designed this to be worn low on the body - Gatsby length with a long chain.  It’s hitched high on the display bust just to show scale and fit it into the photo.  If you want it to be higher - I’m happy to alter the chain length.  

Automata X

Another steampunk goddess made with a range of watch parts, brass bits and pieces, electrical probes and two part resin.  She can look very intimidating from one angle yet strangely zen from another.  She’s in my Etsy shop.

The Metropolis - Capital City.

I see a lot of watch innards in my work. Using a disassembled movement, the “skeleton” of any watch, as the basis for a tiny city has been rolling around in my head for a long time. Most of the holes for the “buildings” are already there. I sometimes need to pop the “jewels” out, usually low grade rubies, so all the holes are available. Many of the “buildings” are seriously tiny, sub 1 mm wide and a few millimetres high. They can also be very sharp. My first attempt wasn’t great as I couldn’t get the “buildings” straight and parallel. Take two using putty hardened before installing all the “buildings”. Third time’s the charm. A little futuristic city with a range of buildings, tiny details and a central “lake” using clear resin. You can’t really see it in the photos.

Here is the dilemma I faced:

It needed to be photographed without the glass so you can see the details, texture and how light plays off it at different angles. It is designed to be a pendant on a chain but for that use I have to stick down the glass dome permanently. If you want it as a piece of art, sculpture, desk ornament, assemblage - I can leave the glass unattached. If there was a way I could do both I would but I can’t see any way to do that using my current skills, supplies and equipment. If it’s displayed on a shelf close to eye level it would be great to keep the glass on to avoid dust but also be able to take the glass off to see all the minute detail. It will also get a lot of attention as a unique jewellery piece on a long chain.

So I leave that option to you - just let me know. It will be the same price for either option.

Components:

• Silver tone tubing - polished
• Two part putty
• Vintage silver tone watch movement
• Assorted watch stems
• Assorted watch bar springs
• Assorted winders
• Assorted balance staffs
• Earring posts
• Pins
• Electronic probes
• Clear resin
• Assorted tubing
• Miscellaneous parts
• Assorted crimps/beads
• Pinions
• Glass dome
• Brass disk
• Brass setting tray
• Eye up loop

Build time: 7 hours

Under the glass dome the pendant is just under 2 inches (4.5cm) high and 1 inch (2.4cm) wide. The chain would be brass gold tone rollo link at the length you would like to wear it at with a lobster claw clasp.

Thanks for looking!

Orrery Locket

I wasn’t sure why I bought the ball locket from one of my regular suppliers but I’m glad I did. I really wanted to attempt putting an orrery model in something that small. It was far too small for arms or any rotation so it’s fixed - no movement at all. The gears are there to imply movement - nothing more. I created the black round ½ ball base in black resin. It is held there by a screw through the base of the locket and into the resin. The next challenge was finding ball head pins to represent all the planets within our solar system. Sorry to Pluto but there was no room left.

Perfect to add the wow factor to your Victorian and/or Steampunk costume but versatile (and symbolic) enough to be worn with contemporary fashion. It’s on a very long (Gatsby length) chain so it sits low on the body. This will be a great length so it’s easier to show friends and family without getting yanked or strangled.

Components:
Bought filigree textured highed ball locket
Black resin ½ ball
Assorted ball pins
Thin hollow pipes
Screw
Vintage gears
Brass washer wing
Brass tone rolo chain
Assorted rings
Lobster claw clasp

Build time: 7 hours

The pendant is just under 1 inches (2.4cm) wide and 2 inches (4cm) long including two large hanging links. The chain is brass gold tone rollo link, 36 inches long with a copper tone lobster claw clasp. It is designed to be worn low but can be altered if required.

Thanks for looking!

Tritium Deco Drop

Something a bit more simple - a green Tritium vial, wrapped with fine gold wire and sealed within another vial attached to a gorgeous cut out brass pendant.  I’ve teamed it with a solid brass pendulum covered in ridges. I love using exotic materials like Tritium although Etsy doesn’t like it.  I disagree with their estimation of the material but - their sandbox, their rules.  So if you are interested in buying it, please let me know and I can invoice you through Paypal. You will covered by their buyer protections.  The price is US$145 with free shipping.

Please note that the pendant is made to be worn low on the body.  In the images I had to place it high on the display bust to photograph it and show scale.  The chain is currently 30 inches long, brass rolo links - but I’m happy to alter it to your measurements.  The glass vial is 1 ½ inches long including caps, the whole pendant section is 3 ½ inches long and slightly over 1 inch wide.  

It’s estimated the Tritium with glow continuously for 10 to 12 years.  It requires no charging like conventional “glow in the dark” pigments.  

I’ve been drawing on two inspirations - the movies Ex Machina and the Fritz Lang masterpiece Metropolis. Both have amazing android/robots in lead parts.  I was disappointed with the LED embedded head experiment but this direction may change that.  These pieces don’t have the LED light just layers of resin with watch parts embedded.  The silver head is  symmetrical - the gold just random parts.  The “eyes” are gold tone pin heads.  I’ve used mixture of jewellery findings.

I wanted it to look like the heads are “crowned” - with slight religiosity mixed with technology and biomechanics. They are designed to be worn mid length on the chest but I’m happy to change the length or put it on a cord for a masculine piece.  

So I’ll start working on the other resin heads to see where this tangent leads me….

This is a recent commissioned piece - a Christmas gift for my client’s partner.  I was going to mount the spring loaded clip holding the vial on a plain rectangular piece of brass.On a whim I held it over the copper ring that was on my work area. Although it’s quite simple I’m really happy how it’s turned out and will take this concept a bit further in the next piece.  I’ve got to buy more tritium as I’m down to my last few sticks - just yellow and pink left.

These are just a proof of concept.  I wanted to include light in my resin heads to highlight layers of mechanical parts.  I was partly inspired by the movies Ex Machina and the classic Metropolis.  Trying to find an LED small enough was the first problem - the second problem was making the batteries accessible so they could be changed.  A few years ago I found LED earrings - the LED is on the pad and the batteries are in the back.  They switch on by inserting the post into the back.  

These heads all have five layers of mechanical watch parts suspended in resin.  It’s a very slow process with each layer needing to cure 24 hours before the next one can be poured.  Some of the pieces have symmetrical parts - others are just random parts. The LEDs were set in the last pour leaving the post exposed so it could be inserted into the battery pack.

There are other problems that I still have to address - the original head mold has been taken from a clay form.  It has left a rough texture on the head that looks like it’s been scratched all over.  I’m happy that the face comes out “frosted” but I have to polish the forehead so the mechanics can be seen.  Resin is very soft - so the polishing has to be manual and it takes a long time.  Even after hours of polishing it still looks like the piece has been scratched in close up photos.  It’s barely noticeable in real life.  I’ve come to the realisation that the texture must be sanded down before polishing.  It may be a good idea to use a polished form to make my own mold.  

They don’t photograph well and the light complicates it. The magnification and refraction of the internal parts is frustrating.  I spend a lot of time positioning each piece for symmetry but it looks like a mess in the photos.  If I can’t take great photos - they can’t be sold online. But it’s early days in this artistic tangent.  I initially bought the molds to make a head for a static miniature reproduction of a Hugo like automata. Unfortunately they are too big for that purpose. 

Silver wing heart - my latest winged mechanical heart with gears, gauges and glow in the dark grill.  Lots of tiny details.  Can be worn as a pendant, unique fob or just displayed.  I can create a display box if required.  

Available in my Etsy shop

I’m trying to get as many items finished in time for Christmas. Here is a basic little solar system made with resin and glass that would be a unique gift for someone interested in all things celestial.  It’s only an inch wide and half an inch deep.  The planets “hover” suspended in water clear resin above the fine copper clock hairspring.  I dusted some holographic glitter on the black background - it’s very subtle with colour flashes only visible while moving the piece around in the light.  I love sparkle but I didn’t want it to look like a cheap christmas bauble or snow globe. 

All the planets are in order and relative size within reason.  The planets are also in different metallic colours - silver, copper and gold. Saturn has her ring. It’s mounted on a vintage brass gear.  I have it on a fine brass and black ball necklace that also sparkles with movement.  If you are buying the piece for a man it can be put on a black rubber or leather cord.  It should be worn high on the body/neckline.  

It’s understated yet very unique and sure to evoke comments and break the ice at gatherings at this time of year.  It is available in my Etsy store.

Tritium Powered Assassin Bug

No, not really “powered” by tritium but that would be fantastic.  It’s just a fantasy mechanical winged insect with a tritium rod in the abdomen.It’s hanging from a stick pin so it can attached to clothing.  The legs are vintage watch stems attached to brass rods.  Nearly every connection is nuts and bolts - tiny nuts and bolts.  The centre piece is brass with a square top screw securing the glass vial to the body and head.It’s estimated the green tritium will glow continuously for 10 to 12 years.  It doesn’t need “charging” from a light source like regular glow in the dark.  

It’s 1 ½ inches long, just over 1 inch wide and stands ½ an inch high.  It’s US$185 shipping included.  If you are interested in buying it - drop me a line with your paypal email address and I’ll invoice you.  

Steampunk clockwork “brain” pendant necklace.   Mech head 1, 2 and 3.

These look really simple but like anything with resin - it wasn’t simple. Lots of trial and error, testing different resins, a pile of rejects but I really like the final piece. The face has a zen quality to me - it reminds me of the automata dolls from the 19th century or the robot in Metropolis. The brain being represented as a clock work mechanism is an old trope but I really wanted to attempt it using epoxy resin. It’s opened up a thousand ideas that I’ll be exploring more.

There was a “happy accident” early on. Due to the original being a clay model. the mold produced a frosted appearance and texture even using crystal clear resin - that was great, I love the frosted look, but how to reveal the gears and mechanics - that took awhile to work out. The gears are laid layer by layer with a 16 to 24 hour drying time between each pour. With 5 layers the gear and cog “brain” has depth and complexity. 

Due to the curve of the forehead there is some distortion/refraction when viewed from the front. As you can see in the photos, when viewed from the back the gears don’t distort. I didn’t use any trick lighting in photos - the shape tends to capture light. There is the occasional air bubble - something I’ve got to learn to live with when working with resin without spending a fortune of a vacuum chamber. 

The gears are all vintage or antique from an array of watches and pocket watches. The head is 1.5 inches high, 1.1 inches wide and 0.5 deep. I’ve put it on a really long necklace, Gatsby length - 38 inches long. Due to the length I haven’t included a clasp as it’s not really needed. The chain is black with faceted cut brass cable link - it really sparkles as it moves. If you would like to wear it higher - I’m happy to alter the chain to any length you want. I can also put it on a different chain or cord.

Framed Flying Heart

Here is one of my signature steampunk pieces - the mechanical flying heart. Although I make many of these, each one is unique with different features, layout and parts. I love working in miniature - the more complex - the better. 

This piece is extremely intricate - 100+ parts some less than 1mm. The green glow under the grill/screen is from glow in the dark powder mixed with resin - I mix my own so it’s a strong glow.  I recommend using a UV torch to “charge” it if wearing it at an event. 

Nothing is glued on - it’s all deep pinned, soldered, using cold connection methods or screwed. It is robust enough the be worn without fear of anything falling off.  I don’t cast or fabricate preferring to use existing items from a variety of sources.  Some parts are antique, vintage, NOS or new.

Dimensions:
The pendant is 3 inches wide (75mm) and 1 ½ inches long (36mm) and 1 inch (24mm) deep. The chain is gold tone brass faceted cut cable link, 22 inches long with a gold tone lobster claw clasp.

The frame:
I decided to include a glass frame and dock when clients expressed their desire to be able to have the piece visible when not being worn. So I bought a commercial shadow box, painted it “distressed” gold, attached black felt and brass brackets. The heart can be accessed easily out of the back and attached to the chain with two push clasps and rings. The two clasp points keep the heart from flipping around when being worn. 

It takes the piece to another level, especially if given as a gift. As a desk ornament or part of your home decor, my little biomechanical winged heart is sure to be commented on and desired.

The frame is square - 5 X 5 inches (125mm) and 1.6 inches (40mm) deep. The back panel is secured with four rotating clips and also has a “D” ring for wall hanging. The heart just rests on the two brass prongs.

Build time: 40 hours.

Available in my Etsy shop $455

“Solaris” and “Venus Orbit”

I don’t want to be repetitive listing these solar system globes here but I’ve just listed two more smaller versions - “Solaris” and “Venus Orbit” in my Etsy shop.  I’m selling them for US$145 plus US$7 tracked shipping.  

  https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/606053102/orrery-miniature-solar-system-glass

ETSY-shop: CREATIVEMOSS

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This is made from a gold plated fuse, used in high end stereo for superior sound quality. They have such a great look - atompunk/mid century - I didn’t want to really alter the look. The internal gold plate “S” connection has such great form I couldn’t improve on it.  I’ve sold several attached horizontally on a cord for men’s jewellery.  Audiophiles love them.

But I wanted to highlight it with light.  On the bottom of the fuse I’ve installed an LED with a connection post running through the base cap.  The light is turned on by plugging that pin into a small silver tone battery pack.  It holds tight to the pin.  The battery pack unscrews at the top so batteries can be replaced.  The bracket holding the fuse is not fixed so you could turn it up the other way and have the battery pack on the top of the fuse. To balance the piece without the battery I created a similar post on the other end.  

Why should fun jewellery, brave jewellery design using light be the domain of gaudy kitsch - plastic flashing Christmas earrings, disposable dance/rave accessories and cheap novelty toys for kids?  Why can’t it be used in high quality unique design?  Yes, it’s a bit mad scientist and will certainly attract attention whether the light is on or off.  

Now available in my shop:  Purple Zebra Creations

Stackable Blue Tahitian Pearl Ring 

I love that this is a stackable ring. It is edgy and Steampunkish in its look kinda reminds me of gears, nuts and bolts, but did I mention stackable too. You know I love “The Stack”, if you have not started your stack collection, get on it. You cannot neglect finger fashion and call yourself stylish.  

Questions?

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